DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN: 'I Never Get Stage Fright'

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone En Español, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen spoke about what goes through his mind when he first hits the stage with his bandmates. He said: "Everyone in the band has a different approach. I always say I never get stage fright — never… I enjoy it — absolutely — but it's almost like an avatar goes on stage. If I've rehearsed and my voice is good and the guitar playing is enough and I'm in shape enough, there's a confidence that the avatar just takes over. So I can actually enjoy it in a different way.

"Everyone in the band is very different," Collen reiterated. "And it comes down to the confidence thing. So I can really appreciate it and I can see the whole audience and really get energy off of that, is when it just makes it even more profound, the experience."

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE's co-headline "The World Tour" is hitting Latin America and Europe before it comes to the U.S. in August. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York.

Last month, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD played two shows at the 7,000-capacity Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Atlantic City gigs marked MÖTLEY CRÜE's first U.S. live appearances since the announcement that founding guitarist Mick Mars would no longer tour with the legendary rock act. He is being replaced on the road by former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5.

DEF LEPPARD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", which sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release in May 2022 to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

Of "Diamond Star Halos"' 34,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 32,000, SEA units comprised 2,000 (equaling 2.7 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprised less than 500 units.

DEF LEPPARD's previous Top 10 albums included "Pyromania" (which peaked at No. 2 in 1983),"Hysteria" (No. 1 for six weeks in 1988),"Adrenalize" (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992),"Retro Active" (No. 9; 1983),"Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (No. 10; 2005),"Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" (No. 5; 2008) and "Def Leppard" (No. 10; 2015).

Last summer, DEF LEPPARD completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE and guests POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The 36-date trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis.